Deadly Nigerian bomb attack linked to schoolgirls' abduction

Lanre Ola

Maiduguri: A bomb in a van carrying charcoal has exploded in a busy market in north-east Nigeria, killing at least 56 people in the latest suspected attack by Islamist militants, witnesses said.

Sadiq Abba Tijjani, the leader of the Civilian Joint Task Force, said his group recovered at least 56 bodies at the blast site, mostly elderly women who sold peanuts and lemon juice at the market.

Tijjani said they managed to identify 21 of the dead but the rest "were either burnt or damaged beyond recognition".

A fire truck at the site of the explosion. Photo: AFP

Other witnesses also estimated the death toll to be around 50. Some officials said only 17 people died in the explosion that ripped through the market early on Tuesday.

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The blast from the vehicle bomb wrecked cars and taxis that were unloading passengers and wares on a road adjoining the market in the Borno state capital of Maiduguri.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast. But in recent months, the Islamist group Boko Haram has embarrassed President Goodluck Jonathan's government with a spate of bombings and spectacular raids, including the mid-April abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls.

Rescue workers work to put out a fire following the blast. Photo: AFP

The military said it had arrested a number of suspected Boko Haram collaborators including a Maiduguri businessman it alleged was involved in the abduction of the schoolgirls.

The April abduction of 276 school girls from Chibok in Borno State - 219 of whom remain in captivity - has become a symbol of the government's powerlessness to protect civilians.

Defence spokesman Major-General Chris Olukolade said in the statement the arrested man used his membership of a pro-government vigilante group "as a cover, while remaining an active terrorist".

"His main role in the group is to spy and gather information for the terrorists," he added.

Major-General Olukolade said the man had coordinated several deadly attacks in Maiduguri since 2011, including on customs and military locations as well as planting improvised bombs.

Two women were also arrested, one of whom was accused of coordinating payments to other "operatives".

A separate explosion at a busy intersection in the north Nigerian city of Kaduna on Tuesday evening around 8.30pm local time wounded two people but caused no deaths, police said.

The city lies along Nigeria's "Middle Belt," where its largely Christian south and Muslim north meet, and it has been targeted by Boko Haram in the past.

Boko Haram has also struck at Abuja, the capital of Africa's biggest economy, with three bombings in three months.

A year-old military offensive against Boko Haram has so far failed to crush the rebels, despite recent assistance in training, intelligence and surveillance from the United States and other Western allies of Mr Jonathan's government.

Boko Haram says it wants to establish an Islamist state in Africa's top oil producer, and the insurgency has killed thousands since 2009.